Solstice-class cruise ship

The lead ship, Celebrity Solstice, at Sydney, Australia
Class overview
NameSolstice[1]
BuildersMeyer Werft
OperatorsCelebrity Cruises[1]
Preceded byMillennium class
Succeeded byEdge class
Built2007–2012
In service2008–present
Planned5
Completed5
Active5
General characteristics
TypeCruise ship
Tonnage122,000 GT[2]
Length317.20 m (1,040 ft 8 in) (LOA)[2]
Beam36.8 m (120 ft 9 in)[2]
Draught8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)[2]
Decks17 decks
Installed power67,200 kW (90,100 hp)[2]
Propulsion41,000 kW (55,000 hp)[2]
Speed24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Capacity2,850 passengers
Crew1,500
Notespost-Panamax ships

The Solstice class[1] is a class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The class is constructed by Meyer Werft of Germany. At present, there are five active Solstice-class ships: the lead vessel of the class, Celebrity Solstice; the second ship of the class, Celebrity Equinox; and the third ship of the class, Celebrity Eclipse, which was delivered on 15 April 2010. The fourth ship, Celebrity Silhouette, sailed on her maiden voyage on 23 July 2011; and the fifth, Celebrity Reflection,[3] was launched in August 2012. The first Solstice-class ship, Celebrity Solstice entered service in November 2008 and is the namesake of the class. All Solstice-class vessels have post-Panamax dimensions.

Celebrity Solstice was, at 122,000 gross tonnage (GT), the largest ship to be built at a German shipyard, but this record was surpassed by the Disney Dream, a 128,000 GT cruise ship of the Disney Cruise Line.

History

The first Solstice-class vessel was ordered in year 2005[4] at Meyer Werft, with one vessel as the first option. Later, option for second vessel was exercised.[4] Meyer Werft reached several milestones in their career while building the Solstice class. It was their first time to build 122,000 GT cruise ships having post-Panamax dimensions. By that time, the class were the largest cruise ships ever built at the facility.[4] On February and July 2006, the second and the third vessel was ordered respectively. The order for the fourth and fifth ship followed in 2007 and 2008.[4] The class consists of five ships, with expected delivery of one ship each year, from 2008 to 2012, at a total cost of US$3.7 billion.[5]

Concept and construction

The keel of Celebrity Solstice was laid on 11 October 2006,[6] and was delivered on 24 October 2008.[7] The keel of Celebrity Equinox was laid on 6 August 2008[8] and delivered on 16 July 2009.[9] The keel of Celebrity Eclipse was laid on 23 January 2009[10] and was delivered on 15 April 2010.[2] The fourth ship, Celebrity Silhouette was delivered on 18 July 2011[11] and the fifth and final ship, Celebrity Reflection was handed over on 9 October 2012.[12]

Design

Lawn Club

The Solstice class was designed by various architects. The overall masterplan was completed by Boston-based Wilson Butler Architects, who would also design the entertainment venues such as the Main Theater, Grand Foyer, and open decks, including the Lawn Club, which is present some Solstice class ships.[13] Located on deck 15 is a one-half-acre (2,000 m2), manicured real-grass outdoor venue.[1] A special type of grass, Agrostis stolonifera, is used for the lawn.[9] Areas such as Patio on the Lawn, Sunset Bar, Lawn Club Shop and The Hot Glass Show are found at the space.

Other designers included, Tihany Design, who designed the interior of the main dining room;[14] BG Studio, who designed Cellar masters, Passport Bar, Ensemble Lounge, the Michael's Club, and Murano;[15] 5+Design, who designed Galleria Boutique, Fortune Casino, Art Gallery; and RTKL Associates, who designed the spa.[16]

The staterooms on Solstice-class ships are significantly larger than the previous classes, with 80% having a veranda.[1] The staterooms are grouped into seven categories; including the spa-inspired AquaClass, Concierge class, and The Retreat, Celebrity's signature suite-level enclave. There are two 110 m2 (1,200 sq ft) penthouse suites, several 54 m2 (580 sq ft) royal suites, and sky suites, which all carry Retreat perks. The penthouse and royal suites respectively have a living room, dining room and separate bedrooms.[9] There are multiple dining rooms onboard including speciality dining venues, which vary on each ship. Signature Celebrity features were also added, such as the Martini Bar. Another feature of the class is the iLounge, a cruise photo package station. The iLounge was added to Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Silhouette, and on Celebrity Solstice in May 2010.[17]

Exterior design

The Solstice class exterior styling was by yacht designer Martin Francis.[18] The original renderings for the Solstice class was to have powder blue upper decks and funnels. Because Celebrity uses dark blue as a trademark on their ships, the powder blue was subsequently changed to dark blue. The lead vessel, Celebrity Solstice, carries the original concept and design for the class, such as twin funnels with a small "X" on the front funnel and a large "X" on the railings of the hump staterooms. Several months after her service, the "X" logo on the railings were seen by Celebrity as a design flaw. Due to this, the "X" logo on the railings was removed from Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Eclipse and from future Solstice-class ships. In order to compensate, the small "X" on the front funnel was enlarged on ships following Celebrity Solstice.

When originally delivered, all five ships carried white hulls.[19] Each ship was later individually repainted to Celebrity's present dark-blue livery. Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Silhouette received their new hull colour as part of their respective Celebrity Revolution dry docks, in June 2019 and early 2020.[20][21] Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Reflection, by contrast, were repainted in smaller, standalone refits separate from their later Celebrity Revolution overhauls: Eclipse's repaint took place ahead of her April 2021 Revolution refit,[19] while Reflection's occurred during an October 2022 dry dock at Chantier Naval de Marseille, France, four months before her Revolution refit in February 2023.[22] By January 2026, Celebrity Solstice had also received the dark-blue livery, though no specific date for her repaint could be identified in available sources.[23]

Refurbishments

Celebrity Revolution

Between 2019 and 2023, all five Solstice-class ships underwent "Celebrity Revolution," a $500 million fleet-wide refurbishment programme shared with several of Celebrity's older Millennium-class ships.[24] Celebrity Equinox was the first Solstice-class ship refurbished, completing her dry dock in June 2019,[25] followed by Celebrity Silhouette in early 2020,[24] Celebrity Eclipse in April 2021,[26] Celebrity Solstice that October,[27] and Celebrity Reflection, the last of the class to be revamped, in February 2023.[28]

Celebrity Revolution introduced The Retreat, Celebrity's signature suite-class enclave with its own sundeck, lounge, and restaurant, across the renovated ships.[24] Solstice gained a new private retreat sundeck. Moreover, on at least two ships, Equinox and Solstice, the pre-existing Michael's Club lounge was redesigned and renamed the Retreat Lounge as part of this change.[25][29] Reporting on the current status of this venue aboard Eclipse, Silhouette, and Reflection is inconsistent, and available sources do not clearly establish whether those three retain the Michael's Club name today.

Celebrity Renewed

In January 2026, Celebrity Solstice became the first ship in the class to undergo a second, larger refurbishment under "Celebrity Renewed," a fleet-wide investment of more than $250 million (see Celebrity Solstice § Refurbishments for details of that refit).[30] Her other fleetmates are scheduled to undergo similar refurbishments in later years.[30][31] For this refit, Solstice is the only ship in the class whose Lawn Club has been removed. It was replaced by the Sunset Park venue, while Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette, and Reflection continue to carry the Lawn Club as of July 2026.[32]

Ship facts

  • Gross tonnage: 122,000 GT[1]
  • Length: 1,033 feet (314.86 m)
  • Width: 121 feet (36.88 m)
  • Cost: $750 million[1]

Ships

ShipEntered service
for Celebrity		CapacityGross tonnageFlagNotes[1]Image
Celebrity Solstice20082,850121,878 GT[33] MaltaCelebrity's biggest ship when introduced. As of July 2026, it is the only ship in her fleet that features new speciality dining rooms, new entertainment venues, among other refurbishments
Celebrity Equinox20092,850121,878 GT[34] Malta
Celebrity Eclipse20102,850121,878 GT[35] Malta
Celebrity Silhouette20112,886122,210 GT[36] Malta
Celebrity Reflection20123,046125,366 GT[37] MaltaCelebrity's biggest cruise ship (by passenger count) before the introduction of Edge in 2018 (and subsequently her other Edge class fleetmates) [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Celebrity Solstice class". Celebrity Cruises. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Delivery of Celebrity Eclipse". Meyerwerft website. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Celebrity Cruises names fifth ship in Solstice class". 23 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Celebrity Cruises orders new cruise ship". Meyerwerft website. 12 July 2005. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  5. ↑ Launch of Celebrity Cruises' Newest ship 'Eclipses" Others Newest Solstice Class ship named by courageous yachtswoman Emma Pontin. Press Release. Celebrity Cruises. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010
  6. ↑ "Meyer Werft builds cruise vessel for Celebrity Cruises". Meyerwerft website. 11 October 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  7. ↑ "First post Panamax ship for Celebrity Cruises". Meyerwerft website. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  8. ↑ "Keel laying of Celebrity Equinox". Meyerwerft website. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 "Delivery of Celebrity Equinox". Meyerwerft website. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  10. ↑ "Keel-laying of Celebrity Eclipse". Meyerwerft website. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  11. ↑ "Delivery of Celebrity Silhouette". Meyerwerft website. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  12. ↑ "Delivery of Celebrity Reflection". Meyerwerft website. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Celebrity Solstice Cruise Design". Wilson Butler Architects.
  14. ↑ "Legacy". Tihany Design - Luxury Interior Design.
  15. ↑ "Hospitality Portfolio | BG Studio | NYC Luxury Interior Design Firm". BG Studio International.
  16. ↑ "Celebrity Cruises, Solstice". CallisonRTKL.
  17. ↑ Celebrity Cruises to Present "Celebrity iLounge" on Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Summit. Press Release. Celebrity Cruises. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010
  18. ↑ Marche, Tatiana (2019-10-19). "Celebrity Solstice". Francis Design.
  19. 1 2 "Celebrity Eclipse Completes Shipyard Refurbishment". Cruise Radio. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "Celebrity Equinox: Revolutionized – First Solstice Class Ship Transformed". CruiseHabit. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "Top 10 cruise ship refit and refurbishments in 2020". Cruise Arabia & Africa. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "Celebrity Reflection Debuts New Look After Drydock at Chantier Naval de Marseille". Cruise Industry News. 29 October 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Celebrity Solstice Out of Dry Dock with New Feel: What's New and What's Missing". Cruise Fever. 28 February 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  24. 1 2 3 "Celebrity Cruises Revolution". Cruise Specialists. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Celebrity Equinox Sails After Major Renovation". Travel Agent Central. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "Celebrity Cruise Ships by Age — Newest to Oldest". Gangwaze. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  27. ↑ "Celebrity Solstice Itinerary, Current Position, Ship Review". CruiseMapper. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  28. ↑ "Celebrity Summit Refurbished | Upgrades, Features & What to Expect". Cruise118. 11 June 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  29. ↑ "Celebrity Solstice Cruise Ship | Editor's Review". Cruise Critic. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  30. 1 2 Shoffman, Marc. "First look at revamped Celebrity Solstice cruise ship". The Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2026 – via AOL.
  31. ↑ "Upcoming Cruise Ship Refurbishments". Cruise Critic. 18 June 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  32. ↑ "Celebrity Cruises Dry Dock Schedule 2026-2027". Cruising Earth. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  33. ↑ "DNV: Celebrity Solstice". Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  34. ↑ "DNV: Celebrity Equinox". Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  35. ↑ "DNV: Celebrity Eclipse". Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  36. ↑ "DNV: Celebrity Silhouette". Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  37. ↑ "DNV: Celebrity Reflection". Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  • Pictures from the shipyard:
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